Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-25
ABOLIsHING DISH WASHING
BY JOEL BENTON.

tCoDyyi0hted, 1897
Was a woman ever known who really
liked to wash dishes? II there should
be one found the dime museum will be
glad to add her TO its curiosities. or all
the work Of the household this exercise
usually is the one most inveighed against
1t is woman's special "bete noir." 1t is
not only monotonous and mussy, but it
Will never stay done. 1t is dlsagreeable
to the hands; it threatens the dress and
must be done in a very poor one, or witt
careful de lenses; and it comes never less
than three times day. 1t gives no chance
for moving about and being social or for
graceful postures and attitudes. 1t il
dislikable in the extreme.
Many woman wonders who Sisyp hus
in the Greek NEUROLOGICAL story, was
ever set to rolling stone up hill, which,
as soon il got to the top. rolled down
again, so that the task bad to be forever
repeated. Why didn't Pluto set him tC
washing dishes? But then they did not
need to eat where the task of Sisyphus
was conducted and so there were no dishes
to wash. How many women there are
who are longing to-day for some such
''Plut0nian shore "
Quaint old Herbert says: "Who sweeps
a room as for Gods laws, makes that and
the action fine"
Knitting (now a lost art except in fancy
ways) and scrubbing, cooking and mend.
Ing, have all gone into poetry and pic
turesque art; but nobody has sung of the
dish washer or painted her. In the
plainest OF Dutch and Flemish interiors
OF which we see so much in oil, etchiDg
and engraving you will find women parip 9
IN IA
ing the children's faces in preparation for
school, but never washing dishes, so far
as now recollect. Most plain and com.
mon things lend themselves to art and song
of some kind, but the task OF which
am speaking has no poetry in it and no
illusion. 1t might be curious to inquire
why, but 1t only concerns US now to state
the fact.
One of the worst things about 1t is that
you cannot send 1t out of the house to be
done. You do often send the washing,
and you can patronize the baker and
have your bread and cake brought to
your door. In some towns you can get
rid Of cooking entirely by having whole
meals sent in savOry and smoking hot.
Stoves may De sent away for summer
care, or the polisher may come around as
the chimney sweep does. Carpets may
be taken out by men and receive the
necessary tiagellatiOn, but dish washing,
like the poor, is always with us, and is
with the single possible exception, not
very common, of the ''heathen Chinee"
always done by women. There may be
servants IN the house, to be sure, who re-
leve the ladies thereof In wealthy families
OF this task, but they are not al
ways present, and with very fine ware
they ard not always to be
trusted, except where you may rely
surely on the breakage and cIearage OF
dishes That are worth the weeks wages
very often.
But why, it may be asked. dwell upon a
matter 50 hopeless and dismal. | only
do so because | think | have imagined a
plan that will do away with dish wash
ing altogether. This can be done with
out compelling us to eat either with chop
sticks or after the manner of the Turks.
with our fingers. | have no patent for il
and shall take none out, but, perhaps, il
IL succeeds, the man who makes it practi,
cal-not [ who suggest the idea-may
some day be entitled to monument built
of abandoned dish rags,
No reader will need to be reminded OF
the pretty Japanse paper napkins. which
are so often TO be met with, which serve
we'll their temporary purpose and which
are then thrown away. The Japanese do
strange things with paper, aud SO, in
fact, do the Americans. We also nigh,
treat wood pulp, and make, by little
touches of Japanese art, very pretty
things of 1t. It can be made into paper
Think of the fragillty and tastefulness
and usefulness OF a Japanese napkin, and
also OF the solidity and practical worth oil
certain pals and car wheels, all OF which
are made of paper. The posi- bilities oil
paper and paper making are illimitabl q
and tend to cheapness.
Suppose, to get at the heart OF the mat.
ter, we should make our dishes, all OF
nearly all, except or you wish the sugar
dish and the teapOJ-and make even our
forks-of some form OF hardened paper
1t ought not to be impossible to do this
aud do it cheaply. When there should be
universal demand for them, as there
surely would be, they could be made at q
trifiing expense; aud when the meal Is
over they can be thrown away, as we
throw away the paper napkins
now, ande as we also throw away
paper collars and cuffs when
they have survived single service. In
fact. they need not be utterly thrown
aside. They would 20 into the kitchen
range and help cook the next meal, OF
they might serve to make heat in the
parl0r, o. sitting room stove. There
would then be no dishes to wash and none
VI pIlCeiesS Ndlue W look aIJef ana worry
about. There would be no losses from
taking or from utter ruin. The old his.
t0ric sets which keep tue history OF our
mothers ami gtandmothefs alive might
be kept as br c-a-brac and be arranged
with the SplnninC wheel and the reel TO
decorate toe parlor; or, they might sit
as monuments of a lost art on some
Abandoned asideboard. Very pathetic
and restfultboS Would look, and no sign
would ever ariseo1fOr their practical res
toration. 3-lA ,antiI.
what is besteoiall, homework would
be dsarmed OF Lts, most hateful and igno-
bic feature, the toinper OF The housewife
would be sweetebed. and oyerflowlng
with sunshine, her hands would find now
half hours Of leisure each day, and indoor
LIE would be relieved OF the dismal battle
after each N al in the kitchen. Whoever
will maze this a practical invention will
add new rhythm to the melody OF lie
and dismiss to oblivion painful and ex-
asperating discord.
Better Than Outnine.
Qunine Is not only an expensive med